The award is one of seven major awards CIPS gives annually in Australasia.

CIPS is an organisation established in 1932, which has grown to become the central reference for industry best practice.

Peter Morichovitis from Olympic Dam Manager Supply, said the award was “worthy recognition of the culmination of three years’ hard work”.

“Originally, when BHP Billiton acquired Olympic Dam as part of WMC Resources, the site didn’t have a supply department,” Mr Morichovitis said.

“All of the supply functions had been performed out of the head office in Melbourne, so the Olympic Dam supply department was established in late 2005 to bring the site into line with BHP Billiton’s operating model.”

Mr Morichovitis said the department had grown into maturity to what was now considered an “excellent supply department”.

“Olympic Dam spends well over $1 billion dollars a year on the supply of materials, goods and services.

“Our role is simply to spend that money at the best total cost and get things to Olympic Dam in accordance with our customers’ needs and to their satisfaction.”